Shockrack case

ABSTRACT

An equipment case comprising a body and a door includes a compound hinge system connecting the door and the body which allows the door to rotate 270 degrees relative to the body. The compound hinge system has a hinge and a plurality of pins which engage the body or the door. The door can be removed by lifting on the door such that the pins are disengaged from the body. The door of the equipment case can be secured to the body by one or more latch systems. The equipment case may further comprise integrated platforms molded into the corners of an interior chamber of the case. The platforms comprise inserts which are configured to engage a shock absorber or frame.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to cases, such as rigid cases fortransporting and/or storing products such as electronics and musicalequipment. In particular, the invention relates to a case with acompound hinge system that allows the door to be removed entirely or toswing out and completely around to lie flat against the side of thecase. The invention also relates to molded platforms integrated into theinterior of the case having inserts that are adapted to engage a supportframe or shockrack frame system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Durable cases for electronics, musical equipment and other equipmentincluding a support frame or shockrack frame are well known in the art.Current cases require a user to detach multiple latches, usually abouteight latches, in order to open and/or remove the one or more doors.This results in a large amount of time being spent to access thecontents of the case. When two or more cases are stacked on top of eachother, the latches may be inaccessible making displacement of the doorimpossible. In addition, for systems in which the door is secured by ahinge, the door is unable to swing entirely out of the way. This resultsin the door interfering with access to the contents of the case andprevents a user from placing cases in close proximity to each other.Accordingly, a lockable case that includes a compound hinge system whichreduces the number of latches necessary to open and/or remove the doorof the case would be considered useful. In addition, a hinge that allowsthe door of the case to swing entirely out of the way would beconsidered useful.

Current support frames and shockrack frames are secured to the case by ametal frame platform which adds additional weight to the case. The costof production of the case is increased in such systems because of theneed to manufacture the metal platforms. In addition, attaching theframe to the metal platform may be cumbersome and require many steps.Accordingly, a case which includes molded platforms integrated into theinterior of the case to facilitate use of a frame system and reduce theweight and cost of the case would be considered useful.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a compound hinge system andintegrated platform molding embodied in a relatively rigid case. Thecase comprises a body and a door which are removably coupled by one ormore latches and one or more compound hinge systems. The compound hingesystem comprises a hinge and a plurality of pins which connect the hingeto the door or body of the case. The compound hinge system allows thedoor to swing within a range of about 270 degrees such that the door ofthe case may rest against a side wall of the case. In addition, the doormay be easily removed by a user by lifting up on the door and/or hingewhen the door is open. This results in displacement of the pins whichwere inserted into the body of the case. The door can be reinstalled bylowering the pins into the openings disposed on the body of the case.

The interior chamber of the case comprises molded platforms havinginserts integrated into the corners of the case which are configured tobe connected with a support frame such as a shockrack frame system. Eachmolded platform includes one or more inserts adapted to receive a shockabsorber or snubber. The shock absorber can be screwed into or otherwiseattached to the molded platform inserts and then a shockrack frame canbe attached to the shock absorber.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the top and exterior face of thedoor of a case and the compound hinge system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an open door and the interior ofthe case.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the case of the present inventionwith the door completely open such that it lies against a side wall ofthe body of the case.

FIG. 4A is a plan view of the compound hinge system of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4B is a plan view of an equipment case comprising two compoundhinge systems.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the compound hinge system of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6A is a view of the interior of a case.

FIG. 6B is an enlarged perspective view of the corner of a case.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the corner of a case.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a case including a front and rear door.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The drawings illustrate the preferred embodiments of the invention. Thedrawings show the case with a specific shape and style, but persons ofordinary skill in the art will recognize that the case may take variousshapes and styles without affecting the inventive concepts herein.

Turning now to the figures, the case 50 of the present inventioncomprises a door 100, a body 200, an interior chamber 205 and a compoundhinge system 300 which connects the door 100 and the body 200 (FIG. 1).The door 100 and body 200 of the case 50 may be molded plastic or anysuitable material known in the art. The case 50 may include a singledoor 100 to allow a user to access the equipment controls (not shown).In other embodiments, the case 50 may include a second door 102 allowingaccess to the jacks or connectors on the various pieces of equipment(FIG. 8).

The case 50 may include one or more compound hinge systems 300 whichremovably and rotatably couple the one or more doors 100 to the body 200of the case 50 (FIG. 1). An individual door 100 may be attached to thebody 200 by a single compound hinge system 300 or multiple compoundhinge systems 300 (FIGS. 4A and 4B). Each compound hinge system 300comprises a hinge 310 and a plurality of pins 320, 330, 340. The hinge310 may be made of any substantially rigid material such as metal,hardened plastic or the like. In a preferred embodiment, the hinge 310is made of metal. The height H_(A) of the hinge varies depending on thesize of the case 50 and whether a single or multiple hinge systems 300are used, but the height H_(A) generally is in the range of about 4 to30 inches.

The hinge 310 includes a middle region 312, a side region 314 and a pairof lateral extensions 316. The side region 314 includes a substantiallystraight vertical edge 315 which is positioned adjacent to the door 100of the case 50. The lateral extensions 316 are disposed on the oppositeside of the hinge 310 from the side region 314. The lateral extensions316 are configured to be received within recesses 210 disposed in thebody 200 of the case 50 as described further below. Preferably, thelateral extensions 316 extend approximately ½ to 1 inch beyond themiddle edge 318 of the hinge 310. The total width W_(A) of the hinge istypically in the range of about 2 to 5 inches.

The thickness or depth D_(A) of the hinge may be uniform or non-uniformand generally ranges from approximately ¼ inch to about ¾ inch (FIG. 5).The depth D_(A) of the hinge 310 may vary depending on the application.In a preferred embodiment, the depth of the middle region 312 of thehinge 310 is less than the depth at either end region 314, 316 of thehinge 310. In other words, the depth of the hinge 310 at the lateralextension 316 may be greater than the depth of the middle region 312 ofthe hinge 310. Likewise, the depth of the hinge 310 may be increased atthe side region 314 of the hinge 310. Alternatively, the depth D_(A) ofthe hinge 310 may be uniform.

The compound hinge system 300 further comprises a plurality of pins 320,330, 340 (FIGS. 4A and 4B). One or more of the pins 320, 330, 340 may beintegrated into the hinge 310 itself. Alternatively, the hinge 310 mayinclude one or more channels or slots 345 configured to receive a pin320, 330, 340, and the pin 320, 330, 340 can be fixedly coupled with thechannel 345 (FIG. 5). In a further embodiment, one or more of the pins320, 330, 340 may be fixedly coupled with the door and/or hinge andinserted into channels or slots 345 disposed on the hinge configured toreceive a pin 320, 330, 340. The lateral extensions 316 of the hinge 310each comprise one or more body pins 320 which extend downwardly from thehorizontal walls 317 of the lateral extensions 316 (FIGS. 4A and 4B).When the hinge 310 is attached to the body 200 of the case 50, the bodypins 320 engage body pin receiving channels or openings 230 disposedwithin the body 200 of the case 50 as described further below.

The hinge 310 also comprises two or more door pins 330, 340 disposed onthe upper end 344 and lower end 334 of the side region 314 of the hinge310. Preferably, both doorpins 330, 340 extend vertically with the upperdoor pin 340 extending upwardly and the lower door pin 330 extendingdownwardly (FIG. 4A). In a preferred embodiment, either the upper 340 orlower door pin 330 is inserted into a cut-out channel 360 configured toreceive a pin and the other door pin is either integrated into the hinge310 or fixedly coupled to the hinge 310. The cut-out channel 360facilitates attaching the hinge 310 to the door 100. In a preferredembodiment, the lower door pin 330 is fixedly attached to the hinge 310and the upper door pin 340 is inserted through the cut-out channel 360.In such an embodiment, in order to attach the hinge 310 to the door 100,the fixed lower door pin 330 is inserted into the complimentary lowerdoor pin channel or opening 140 disposed on the door 100. The hinge 310is then positioned such that the opening for the cut-out channel 360 isaligned with the upper door pin opening 150. The upper door pin 340 isthen inserted into the cut-out channel 360 and moved upwardly to enterthe upper door pin opening 150. Preferably, the cut-out channel 360 isconfigured to fixedly couple the upper door pin 340 to the hinge 310when the upper door pin 340 is inserted.

The body 200 of the case 50 comprises two or more recessed portions 210configured to receive the lateral extensions 316 of the hinge 310 (FIG.4A). For example, for a case 50 having two compound hinge systems 300,two pair of recesses 210 are disposed on the body 200 of the case 50(FIG. 4B). A side wall 214 and a back wall 218 of the recessed portion210 preferably form a right angle (FIG. 5). In this configuration, thehinge 310 may rotate relative to an axis defined by the body pins 320 inapproximately a 90 degree angle when the body pins 320 are inserted intothe body pin openings 230. Alternatively, the angle of the recessedportion 210 may be varied to allow the hinge 310 to rotate in a largeror smaller range. The bottom wall 220 of each recessed portion 210 ofthe body 200 comprises a receiving channel or body pin opening 230configured to receive the body pin 320 disposed within the lateralextensions 316 of the hinge 310 (FIGS. 4A and 4B). Preferably, theheight H_(B) of the recessed portions 210 disposed on the body 200 aregreater than the combined height H_(C) of the lateral extension 316 ofthe hinge 310 and the exposed portion of the body pin 320. As describedfurther below, this allows a user to raise the door 100 and disengagethe door 100 from the body 200.

The door 100 comprises one or more recessed portions 130 configured toreceive the hinge 310 (FIG. 3). In a single compound hinge system 300,the recessed portion 130 extends from an upper door region 134 to alower door region 136. The door 100 also comprises two or more pair ofdoor pin receiving channels or openings 140, 150 configured to receivethe door pins 330, 340 disposed within the side region 314 of the hinge310 (FIGS. 4A and 4B). Preferably, the two door pin openings 140, 150are oriented in opposite directions such that the lower door pin opening140 extends downwardly and the upper door pin opening 150 extendsupwardly. Securing the door pins 330, 340 within the pair of dooropenings 140, 150 fixes the hinge 310 to the door 100, and allows thedoor 100 to rotate relative to an axis defined by the door pins 330approximately 180 degrees relative to the hinge 310. Thus, by combiningthe axes of rotation of the two hinge connection points, the door 100may rotate approximately 270 degrees relative the body 200. In caseshaving two compound hinge systems 300, an intermediate door region 170protrudes from two recessed portions 130 and includes a pair of door pinopenings 175 each configured to receive door pins 330, 340 (FIG. 4B).

In a preferred embodiment the door 100 and body 200 comprise one or morecomplimentary latch systems 400 disposed on the side opposite thecompound hinge 300 (FIGS. 1-3). The latch systems 400 may be of any formknown in the art. Preferably, one or more of the latch systems 400include a lock (not shown) for securing the door 100 to the body 200. Iftwo or more cases 50 have been stacked on top of each other, the latchsystems 400 can be engaged or disengaged as necessary without the needto unstack the cases. By requiring only one or two latch systems 400,the case 50 can be rapidly opened by a user allowing for rapiddeployment and quick access to the contents of the case.

In a further embodiment, the door 100 may comprise means for securingthe door 100 to the body 200 when the door 100 is in the full openposition and lies flat against the side 204 of the case 50 as shown inFIG. 3. For example, the door 100 may comprise a catch, cord, protrusionor the like that can be removably coupled with a complimentary structuresuch as a hook, catch or slot (not shown) on the body 200. The securingmeans (not shown) may be disposed at the end of the door 100 or may bedisposed on the exterior face 104 of the door 100.

The interior chamber 205 of the case 50 comprises molded platforms 250disposed at the each of the corners 260 of the case 50 (FIGS. 6A, 6B,and 7). The platforms 250 comprise a raised portion of the walls 255 ofthe interior chamber 205 and include one more inserts 275 (FIG. 6B). Ina most preferred embodiment, the platforms 250 are angled at about a 45degree angle relative to the horizontal wall 280 of the interior chamber205, but the angle of the platforms 250 may vary from about 30 to 75degrees relative to the horizontal wall 280 (FIGS. 6A and 7).

The molded platform 250 reduces the amount of space necessary for theframe connection 500 as compared to current systems which require use ofa metal platform. In addition, the molded-in format reduces the overallcost of the case 50 in comparison to use of a metal frame connector. Theuse of a molded plastic platform 250 rather than a metal frame connectoralso decreases the weight of the case 50 and facilitates use a supportframe or shockrack frame 500 within the case 50.

The platform 250 may comprise two or more inserts 275 disposed at eachof the eight corners 260 of the case 50 to allow the frame 500configuration to be modified based on the needs of the user (FIG. 6B).The inserts 275 are configured to engage a shock absorber or snubber600. The inserts 275 may comprise female threaded layers 272 thatreceive a male threaded end 610 of a shock absorber 600. In alternativeembodiments, the insert 275 may comprise other forms of connectors tosecure a shock absorber 600 or frame 500 to the platform 250.

The shock absorber 600 used in conjunction with the platform 250 may beof any type known in the art. Preferably, the shock absorber 600 has acylindrical body 620, a male threaded end 610 and a female threaded end630. The male threaded end 610 is configured to be removably coupledwith the insert 275 of the platform 250. The female threaded end 630 isconfigured to be removably coupled with a shockrack frame or other formof support frame 500.

The door 100 and body 200 of the case 50 may further comprisecomplementary grooves and/or protrusions 190, 290 configured to engageone another when the door 100 is closed against the body 200 (FIGS.2-3). The complementary grooves and protrusions 190, 290 create a sealto prevent dust, water, other contaminants from entering case 50. Thecase 50 may also include other features known to those in the art suchas handles 700, mating grooves for stacking cases 800, and the like(FIGS. 1-3 and 8).

In operation, a case 50 includes a body 200 and a door 100 with the door100 being secured to the body 200 by one or more compound hinge systems300 and one or more latch systems 400 (FIGS. 1-3). If the case 50 is inthe closed position, the latch systems 400 are engaged and may belocked. To open the case 50, the user unlocks the case 50 and disengagesthe latch systems 400. Once the one or more latches 400 are disengaged,the door 100 may be swung in the direction indicated by the arrow inFIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the door 100 may be swung such that theexterior face 104 of the door 100 is adjacent to the side 204 of thebody 200. In this position, the door 100 rests along the side 204 of thebody 200 and does not obstruct access to the interior chamber 205 of thecase 50. In addition, the door 100 does not obstruct a user from placingother cases or equipment in close proximity to the side 204 of the case50 because the profile of the door 100 is reduced. When the door 100 isfully opened such that the door 100 lies flat against the side wall 204of the body 200, the door 100 may be secured to the body 100 if asecuring means is present.

If desired, the user may remove the door 100 and hinge 310 from the case50 when the door 100 is open. The door 100 and hinge 310 may be removedby lifting on the door 100 and/or hinge 310 to displace the body pins320 from the body pin openings 230 (FIGS. 4A and 4B). Once the body pins320 have been removed from the body pin openings 230, the hinge 310 anddoor 100 can be moved out and away from the body 200 of the case 50.Removal of the door 100 facilitates use of the contents of the case 50and creates additional space for use of other equipment. In order toclose the case 50, the door 100 may be reattached by placing the bodypins 320 in the body pin openings 230 and then swinging the door 100 tothe closed position. The latch systems 400 can then be engaged and thecase 50 can be locked if desired.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications, andalternative forms, specific examples thereof have been shown in thedrawings and herein described in detail. It should be understood,however, that the invention is not to be limited to the particular formsor methods disclosed, but to the contrary, the intention is to cover allmodifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spiritand scope of the appended claims.

1. A compound hinge system for an equipment case having a door and abody comprising a first pair of pins configured to engage the body ofthe equipment case; a second pair of pins configured to engage the doorof the equipment case; a hinge comprising two lateral extensions coupledwith the first pair of pins and an elongate body region coupled with thesecond pair, wherein a width of the hinge is dimensioned to allow thedoor of the case to rotate approximately 270 degrees relative to thebody of the case.
 2. The compound hinge system of claim 1, wherein oneor more of the pins are integrated into the hinge.
 3. The compound hingesystem of claim 1, wherein the hinge further comprises channelsconfigured to receive the pins and one or more of the pins are coupledto the channels.
 4. An equipment case comprising a compound hinge systemincluding a hinge and two pair of pins; a body including two openingsconfigured to receive one of the pair of pins; and a door including twoopenings configured to receive the other pair of pins, wherein the dooris able to rotate 270 degrees relative to the body.
 5. The equipmentcase of claim 4, further comprising a single latch system configured toremovably couple the door and the body.
 6. The equipment case of claim4, further comprising two latch systems configured to removably couplethe door and the body.
 7. A method of using an equipment case having adoor and a body removably and rotatably coupled by a compound hingesystem comprising detaching one or more latch members to allow the doorto swing out from the body of the equipment case; and rotating the door270 degrees relative to the body such that an exterior face of the dooris in the proximity of a side panel of the body of the case.
 8. Themethod of claim 7, wherein the equipment case comprises one latchmember.
 9. The method of claim 7, wherein the equipment case comprisestwo latch members.
 10. The method of claim 7, further comprising liftingon the door to separate the door from the body.
 11. An equipment casecomprising a body member; a platform integrated into at least one cornerof an interior of the body member; and one or more inserts on eachplatform, at least one of the inserts having an attachment member. 12.The equipment case of claim 11, wherein all four corners of the interiorchamber have platforms.
 13. The equipment case of claim 11, wherein theattachment member comprises female threaded layers.
 14. The equipmentcase of claim 11, further comprising a shock absorber attached to theattachment member.
 15. The equipment case of claim 11, furthercomprising a support frame attached to the attachment member.
 16. Theequipment case of claim 15, wherein the support frame is a shockrackframe.
 17. The equipment case of claim 11, wherein the platforms aremolded.
 18. The equipment case of claim 11, further comprising acompound hinge system including a hinge and two pair of pins; twoopenings disposed on the body member configured to receive one of thepair of pins; and a door including two openings configured to receivethe other pair of pins, wherein the door is able to rotate 270 degreesrelative to the body.
 19. A compound hinge system for coupling a bodyand a door of an equipment case comprising a hinge having a centralregion and two lateral extensions; a first pair of pins, wherein thefirst pair of pins are configured to rotatably couple the body and thehinge; and a second pair of pins, wherein the second pair of pins areconfigured to rotatably couple the door and the hinge.
 20. The compoundhinge system of claim 19, wherein the first pair of pins are fixedlycoupled with the two lateral extensions and the second pair of pins arefixedly coupled with the central region.
 21. The compound hinge systemof claim 19, wherein the first pair of pins are fixedly coupled with thebody of the equipment case and the lateral extensions of the hingecomprise a pair of openings configured to receive the first pair ofpins.
 22. An equipment case comprising a front door having a first setof door pin openings; a back door having a second set of door pinopenings; a body having a first and second set of body pin openings; afirst compound hinge system including a first hinge, a first set of doorpins configured to communicate with the first set of door pin openingsand a first set of body pins configured to communicate with the firstset of body pin openings, wherein the first compound hinge systemrotatably couples the front door and the body; a second compound hingesystem including a second hinge, a second set of door pins configured tocommunicate with the second set of door pin openings, and a second setof body pins configured to communicate with the second set of body pinopenings, wherein the second compound hinge system rotatably couples theback door and the body.